Tax Payers Day: Tax revenues on the increase

Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA) will today mark this year’s Taxpayer’s Day with a call to increase or strengthen use of technology among taxpayers.

Saturday, September 01, 2012
Tax payers queuing at Rwanda Revenue Authority to clear their taxes. The New Times / File.

Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA) will today mark this year’s Taxpayer’s Day with a call to increase or strengthen use of technology among taxpayers.The celebrations are expected to take place in Musanze District, Northern Province under the theme; Technology in Taxation: A way to Trade Facilitation.The target for this year’s taxpayers’ day celebration will focus on quick and easy ways of using technological services in tax declarations.RRA recently introduced an online tax calculation facility which makes it easy for taxpayers to calculate their taxes prior to submitting tax returns to facilitate doing business in the country.It follows the introduction of online PAYE calculator, that aims at assisting taxpayers to calculate Pay as You Earn (PAYE) for their employees.Using the e-Tax calculator, the tax payer will be able to calculate PAYE, Value Added Tax (VAT) on a monthly basis and Personal Income Tax (PIT), Corporate Income Tax (CIT), on a quarterly basis. It will also be able for taxpayers to calculate Annual Corporate Income Tax, and Annual Personal Income Tax.Another progressive development within the taxation sector include the Rwanda Electronic Single Window which links traders with government clearing bodies such as RRA, Rwanda Development Board, Magasins Generaux du Rwanda (MAGERWA), the Ministry of Health, and Rwanda Bureau of Standards.It is the first electronic clearing system in sub-Sahara designed to reduce the time cross-border traders spend clearing goods and cut the cost of doing business. "This is a ground-breaking scheme to cut the red tape snarling trade and I am confident it will pave the way for similar systems in other EAC countries as well as making Rwanda an even cheaper place to do business,” Ben Kagarama, RRA Commissioner General, said at the launch of the Electronic Single Window.During the celebrations of the Taxpayers’ Day, RRA will award the best taxpaying businesses and individuals.